Proposing an Alliance
by Uniasus
Summary: 3rd in Fated. Hiccup and Merida are getting hitched! Maybe.


Proposing an Alliance

_By Uniasus_

**3rd in Fated**

* * *

Normally, Hiccup didn't mind spending time with Astrid. They had been through a lot, shared an interest in dragons, and she was the one he could handle of his peer group the most. He also suspected that some remnant of his early feelings for her were involved, especially as he never made any motion of not liking the kisses Astird would plant on his cheeks.

But ever since his return from Scotland after the moon planting, he found spending time with her annoying. She was a distraction from figuring out his thoughts about what Elinor had told him, and he really wanted to figure them out.

He was sitting with Rancid in the back of the leather worker's shop, sewing together two layers of leather to form the base of a Nightmare saddle. Astrid was sitting next to him, sharpening her ax as was her favorite past-time, and trying to strike a conversation. Which was odd, because they had always been more about action than talking.

"Ruff said one of their sheep birthed yesterday. Mom says our first one should be any day now."

"Uh-huh," Hiccup answered around the needle in his mouth.

"Did you want to come watch?"

He had enjoyed the spectacle last year. Stoick's position as Chief of Berk came with duties that left little time for sheep-rearing and so Hiccup found births to be a fascinating break from his normal life. Astrid just always rolled her eyes as she watched him watch the lambs come into the world. To her, it had been a normal part of spring since she could walk.

Hiccup tugged the sinew tight. "Maybe. It depends on the timing. Fishlegs told me yesterday he noticed some of the dragons behaving oddly and is excited about the possibility of it being a mating dance. He's going to come get me if he notices it again."

Astrid nodded. While it was roughly two years since Hiccup and Toothless had defeated the Green Death, all the vikings were kinda curious as to the lack of dragon eggs. Or live births if they did that. The point was, there were no dragonets and it was a problem that Hiccup's mind had been chewing over before his latest trip to Caledonia. And the moment, it was the second most important thing he was mulling over. Merida's pending marriage being the first. Watching sheep was low on the list. If one of the Hofferson's flock started birthing now, Hiccup figured he might go watch or he might just stay here and finish the saddle.

Mindless repetitive tasks allowed him to do something productive for the village while giving him time to still figure out his tormented heart.

"You haven't talked much about your mapping trip."

Hiccup shrugged. "I went to Caledonia again. Well, a different part of course. It's pretty big and the culture is fascinating." As he remembered Merida watering the field with milk, he blushed.

Astrid caught it. "Like what?" and boy did her voice sound sharp.

He tried to sew faster to in an effort to control his blush, but Astrid pulled the leather out of his lap and got into his face. "Like what, Hiccup?"

"Um...the females of the head family watered the fields...topless." He scrunched up small to avoid the female viking whose eyes were now flaming.

"You saw some other girl's breasts?!"

"It wasn't like that! It was a crop blessing ritual, nothing sexual, I promise!" The sex had come after.

Astrid glared at him, but then her face softened just a tiny bit as she realized she believed him. She still looked pissed however.

"Well, it's not right if you saw breasts abroad and not at home yet." And to Hiccups astonishment Astrid lifted up her shirt, showing off her own breasts for half a second, before pulling her shirt down and running out of the shop with a red face and muttering something about hitting trees.

Hiccup just stared blankly ahead in surprise.

Rancid's chuckling broke him out of his trance. "Home grown girls are the best, aren't they?"

"Can't beat a viking girl," he answered, ducking his head. But it was a lie. Merida beat them all.

The brief flash of Astrid's body didn't do anything for him, even though he knew Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs all talked about it. All he wanted was his Caldonian Princess.

* * *

He tried to figure things out by himself, but the little bit of viking literature on Berk wasn't very helpful and Hiccup also wondered how up-to-date most of it was. He needed to talk to someone.

Hiccup thought about Fishlegs, but then dismissed him for a couple of reasons. He was great at connecting the dots and understanding things, but not so great at keeping secrets. If Fishlegs figured out why he was asking such questions...well he didn't not rumors spreading throughout Berk. The other reason was that Fishlegs's knowledge was mainly natural, facts about animals and trees. Politics and social policies, not so much.

He could ask the Elder, but eventually decided to bit the bullet and talk to his dad. Stoick would have to be involved at some point anyway.

Hiccup took a big breath, he'd have to prepare for this.

* * *

The key to talking with his dad, when it was on his terms and not Stoick just popping into the workshop, was making sure Hiccup felt good about himself before starting the conversation. While he was getting better at not making Hiccup feel like a used toothpick, he sometimes still did inadvertently. Not that Stoick ever saw his verbal abuse as that and used it in intentional manners, but he was now more aware of the affect he had on Hiccup and tried to make it a positive one. It usually worked, but habits died hard.

So to presumptuously counteract it, Hiccup was going to orchestrate the best day ever.

It had to be timed right, a day both with awesome weather and one where he accomplished something because he felt amazing when he was useful.

Naturally it took a couple of tries, to line up good weather with a finished project, but eventually it happened.

The day had dawned clear and warm and his morning flight on Toothless felt wonderful. And then, just before lunch, the construction of a new silo he had designed was finished. With no dragon raids to worry about, and thus less time needed with sheep because Terrors made surprisingly good shepherds, more time had been giving to actually growing things and current store houses just weren't enough. To make sure nothing that could be avoided spoiled his good mood, Hiccup took the afternoon off to spend time in the small gully with Toothless. They swam, drew portraits of each other, and Toothless was very effective in getting him to not chicken out and actually talk to his dad about a potential marriage to Merida.

But less effective once they were home.

Hiccup and Stoick were sitting opposite each other, eating a goulash made from a still born sheep. Toothless kept pointing to Stoick with his nose, and Hiccup kept shaking his head. Sitting across from his father, his confidence and Toothless's earlier propping were faltering.

Toothless barked into the fire place, and the resulting flame was hot enough in the late spring heat that Hiccup wanted to take his fur vest off but figured sweating in it would be good personal punishment and might help him take a deep breath before plunging into a conversation he didn't want to have.

Toothless stomped upstairs in aggravation. Two minutes later he was back, mouth full, and Hiccup had just enough time to recognize the bow Merida gave him before the Night Fury dropped his burden on Stoick's lap.

The beefy viking sputtered, spoon falling to the ground, and he pushed at Toothless's snout to get the dragon out of the way. He then noticed what exactly was in his lap. "What is this stuff?" He asked, moving it all from his lap to the table and starting to go through it. "A bow, a bottle -"

"Uh – it's mine."

His dad blinked at him. "Since when do you have a bow?"

"Since last year?"

"Really?"

Stoick looked at the weapon in his hands, running his fingers over the tips. "Did you make this son? I've never seen anything like it."

"Ah, no. It's a gift I got on one of my mapping trips."

"Huh. And this?" He shook the bottle.

"Uh, water from the Firefall. It's this waterfall that the locals say brings power to those who drink from it."

"Does it work?" Stoick uncorked the bottle and took a sniff.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I don't know, I haven't tried it yet." Well, not the bottled version.

The village chief started reaching for the tapestry Merida had made for him and Hiccup knew he had to speak up so the conversation would be in his control.

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure son." He brushed Merida's gifts to the side of the table. Toothless nudged the bow back on the table further so it wouldn't drop and Hiccup noticed the dragon looked rather smug.

"Well, it's about..." Gah! He couldn't do this! Hiccup began stabbing his plate with his fork. "Nevermind," he mumbled and Toothless growled at him.

Stoick seemed to get the idea. "No, this is important enough Toothless is getting involved. What did you want to talk about?"

Of all the days for his dad to pay close attention to him!

"Um, it's about marriage."

"Really, thank the All-father! You had me worried Hiccup, all the other boys your age have sampled the ladies and you haven't. I was beginning to think you weren't interested in girls!" He threw back his head and laughed.

"Dad!"

"It's Astrid right, she's the only girl you spend time with. And the entire village knows about the show she gave you a few weeks ago."

"What?! It does!? But, no, it's not Astird, no." Hiccup screwed up his nose. He had never thought of marring the blonde Viking, and he hadn't realized how much he hated the idea until it was put in his head. It was Merida or no one.

Stoick turned really serious. "Are you telling me you like boys instead?" The bushy breaded man had gone pale. "I'm okay with you telling us that dragons are okay and flipping our style of living, but Thor All-Mighty, I cannot allow you to marry a boy!"

"I don't want to!" Hiccup yelled back, the outburst surprising both Stoick and Toothless. Clearing his through, Hiccup settled back in seat of his chair.

"She's not from Berk. She lives in Caledonia actually. Those are gifts from her." He gestured towards the pile of objects on the table and Stoick eyed them in a new light.

"She made the bow? Hah, got yourself a fighter did you?"

"Yes, she's very brave."

Stoick reached for the rolled cloth. Merida had given him a total of three tapestries: the original one of her and Hiccup riding Toothless through the woods, another of them flying through the clouds, and a third of them standing on top of the Firefall, hand in hand while Toothless stood behind them.

"She's a beut." Stoick said, looking at all three of them spread next to each other. "Got an eye for needlework too."

Hiccup nodded, watching his dad.

"So, not Astird?" He eventually said, looking across the table to Hiccup.

"No, Merida is the one I want to marry."

"These are a lot of gifts, how often have you seen her?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Not as often as I would like, but every time I leave Berk. We've, um, being dating for two years now." He scratched the back of his head, lowering his eyes in embarrassment and feeling the scar of the wound that brought him to her.

"Well, I have no problem with you marring the girl, but she would have to come live here. You're set to rule Berk, can't have you flying off on Toothless and not returning."

Hiccup ran around the table to give his dad a hug. "Oh, thank you Dad!"

Stoick grinned as he peeled his son off him. "Anything for you. Now, we have to draw up an agreement between us. Caledonia is giving us a bride, we have to give something in return. Tell me about the island. What do they have that we could use, or vise versa?"

* * *

Two days later, Hiccup was in the air again and heading towards Caledonia.

He had convinced his dad not to say anything until things were official, while Hiccup was positive Fergus and Elinor would say yes, he wasn't ready to let it out he had been commuting to date a girl from a different culture for the past two years.

It probably wasn't fair to Astird, Hiccup felt like he was going behind her back a little bit, but the two of them had never actually discussed their relationship. Hiccup had always thought of her as a friend, but her show in the leather shop and his dad's first impression had him wondering if she thought differently.

He didn't like the idea of hurting her.

But it was something he could live with once he and Merida were married. With Merida by his side, every thing could be dealt with.

* * *

He landed in the circle, Merida launching herself at him like usual. They kissed, Hiccup sneaking a hand down to her rear before they pushed away.

"I've always meant to ask, how do you when I'm coming?"

"The wisps lead me."

"Makes sense."

Hiccup hopped back up on Toothless and pulled Merida up behind him. She held on tight while Toothless launched into the sky.

"You usually don't come so soon after a visit, did your planting start and your dad want to get rid of you again?"

"Actually, he sent me."

"Really?" Hiccup didn't have to twist around to see the disbelief on her face.

"Really. Toothless, let's go to the waterfall."

* * *

They coupled on the top of the Firefall, the sun turning the water orange as it started to set. While Merida lay in his arms afterwords, he stroked a finger up and down her arm.

"Merida," he whispered and she wrinkled her nose at the unnecessary volume but lowered her voice anyway to match his.

"Yes?"

"Marry me?"

"Of course!" she shrieked, rolling on top of him and planting kisses all over his face.

* * *

They got back to the castle late, past dark, but just in time for dessert. Elinor sent them away to wash their hands and when they returned the servants had brought plates of meat out for them.

Dinner conversation flowed, the crops were growing and Fergus had gotten a new gray hound. It always surprised Hiccup how easy it was to talk to Merida's family, nothing compared to the self urging he had to do to approach his father with a subject. It thrilled him to think that they could be his actual family soon, and not just one he visited and liked spending time with.

Happy, he grabbed Merida's hand under the table and held it while they ate.

They'd tell her parents in the morning.

* * *

Hiccup knocked softly on the royal chambers. Elinor had been working on a new tapestry, and Fergus had just gotten back from a falconing trip so he knew they were both there.

"Is that you with the snack, Maudie?" Fergus boomed.

"No," Hiccup answered. They would know it was him by the different accent. "I would like to talk to the two of you, if that's okay."

The door opened to reveal Elinor, and she was smiling. She probably guessed why he had returned to Scotland so soon. "Of course Hiccup."

The first room of the royal chambers served as a sitting and relaxing center, the bedroom beyond a door to the right. Fergus was sitting at a table near the fireplace and gestured for Hiccup to join him. "Come, come!"

Hiccup sat across from him and Elinor sat on the stool in front of her tapestry. This one featured Fergus and his hounds.

"Um," suddenly nervous Hiccup played with the tie of his vest, but then slipped his hand into the inner pocket and pulled out his father's contract. "I propose an alliance between Berk and your kingdom."

"Aha! Told you he'd do it!" Fergus roared at Elinor, who acknowledged the statement with a small bow of his head.

"I thought he would too."

"Welcome to the family, Hiccup." Fergus said.

Maudie chose that time to enter the room with the snack Fergus had mentioned earlier. "Maudie, bring us a few glasses from the cask in the cellar. We're celebrating!"

While the king ordered drinks, Elinor had approached the table and picked up the document Stoick had written up. "This says Merida is to live in Berk."

"Yeah, I can't leave because I'm next in line for chief. And I know Merida's the eldest, but surely one of the boys could rule?"

Both of them looked at him, and Fergus let out a laugh. "Those boys? No, I don't think they're throne material"

"Well, I didn't think the same of you." Elinor said, gently placing the paper down while the king sputtered. "I'm more concerned about if we did elect one of the boys as next in line, the consequences of that action. They are used to sharing, and I don't think dividing the kingdom into three is wise."

Hiccup really wanted to whine, but that would be unmanly. But he was determined to marry Merida.

"This isn't something that's going to be settled today, is it?"

Elinor shook her head. "No, sorry Hiccup. But I know you really wish to wed Merida, and her you. I do not wish to break her heart. But it is one thing to break the traditions of a new kingdom and another to break the laws of religion. The goddess must be happy."

Maudie arrived with the drinks, but Fergus sent her away. "Why don't you return home Hiccup, and come back with your dad. This is something that needs to be discussed between leaders."

* * *

Merida, while not pleased with how Hiccup's meeting with her parents went, at least understood it.

"I know I have to be married by eighteen, but I don't get the part where I can't move to Berk!"

They spent the night drafting up reasons for Stoick to let Hiccup move to Scotland and reasons for Merida to move to Berk. Hiccup took off with them the next morning and prayed to gods, Norse and Celtic, that one of their lists would be effective.

* * *

"Where's your bride?" Stoick boomed as Hiccup walked into the house.

"See, there was a small problem," he sighed and Toothless crooned from behind him in sympathy.

"Are you telling me they didn't see my son as good enough?"

"No! It's nothing to do with me! I'm great, they like me, strangely." It felt rather good to hear his father stick up for him. He was just getting to really bond with him, Hiccup didn't want to leave Berk at this point. There was too much to do around Berk with the dragons, and he had yet to really pluck the up courage to ask about his mom. Hopefully, Merida could move to Berk.

"It's the terms that are the issue." He gave Stoick the scroll Elinor had written, Fergus had horrible handwriting. "They would like to met with you to discuss things."

Stoick looked up from the message, and Hiccup held his gaze firmly because he had the feeling his father was looking for something.

"You really love this girl, don't you."

"I do Dad, I really do."

"Then I'll go."

* * *

A month later, Hiccup touched down in the stone circle again. Three visits in a season, quite a record. Merida didn't kiss him like normal, but just stared up at Hiccup as he sat on Toothless's saddle. A lesser woman would have been twisting her hands, but she just looked straight at him.

"Well?"

"My dad's coming, as well as other members of the Berk community. You should be able to see the sails soon."

He reached down to pull her up into the saddle, and when she was holding on gave Toothless the cue to take to the air.

Once above the trees, Hiccup pointed out the vikings' ships. "See, they'll be here for dinner."

"What about our marriage? Will it happen?"

"I hope so. Dad knows I love you, your parents know you love me, and the wisps say we belong together. One way or another, we will be."

She placed a kiss on the back of his neck. "I don't think a witch's tart will help us this time."

"No. I don't think it will."

They flew to the town to inform the castle staff to expect a lot of guests for dinner.

* * *

And...that's it folks! Actually, what happened was that when I had planned it out I had one particular ending in mind. And then Hiccup and Merida got to me, and they were like no, we want a different one. Actually, they each wanted their own.

So, I am splitting this story, Choose Your Own Adventure Style!

Choice A) You don't want to see Merida and Hiccup hitched. Read Making Do.

Choice B) Merida's totally moving to Berk. Read Unity

Choice C) Hiccup will wear a crown instead of braiding his beard (if he ever grows one). Read Rule Together.

In other notes, the connection of the first born to ruling and the earth goddess isn't something in my awesome book, I'm making it up. But it's true the earth goddess has to be kept happy if they don't want the land around them to turn against the kingdom. Droughts, ruined crops, and the like in Celtic culture were thought to be the fault of kings not pleasing the local earth deity.


End file.
